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China Criticizes Google's "US Ties"

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the why-can't-we-just-be-friends dept.

krou writes "State-run news agency Xinhua has attacked what it calls Google's 'intricate ties with the US government' amongst its high level officials, claiming that it's 'an open secret that some security experts in the Pentagon are from Google.' They have also accused the company of trying to change Chinese society by imposing American values on it. Xinhua said that 'One company's ambition to change China's internet rules will only prove to be ridiculous.' Google has denied the claims. Google spokeswoman Jessica Powell said that 'The decision to review our business in China was entirely Google's and Google's alone.'"

8 of 280 comments (clear)

  1. Let's not forget by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    that while some Internet users in certain Western countries may see the Internet as something which exists independently of society and is merely a medium through which two individuals may communicate, from the Chinese POV it is a part of society and therefore allowed to be controlled.

    To be totally honest, I agree with the Chinese POV, since $People \in Society$ and $Internetusers \subset Society$.

    1. Re:Let's not forget by sopssa · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The point is that both countries have their own view on what is allowed and what is not. The difference is that China only restricts it inside it's own country, while US tries to enforce their view all over the world (with ACTA too). It maybe doesn't make it OK, but in my view it's still a lot better when you aren't trying to enforce your views to people of other countries.

    2. Re:Let's not forget by denobug · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Not really. Xhinhua is politicizing the situation where Google is attempting to receive protection from it OWN government when being intruded upon. Why is it a bad thing for Google to ask NSA for security assistance when their high profile account is being hacked with possible traces to the Chinese government? I am not saying Chinese government has a hand in it but the suspicion should warrant Google to seek governmental help to pin point the issue and prevent additional attack from happening.

      Let's not forget Google is a US registered company with headquarter in California. Their stock is listed in US stock exchange. They pay taxes to US government. Seeking help and protection from your own government is well within their rights as a US company.

      Further I don't think China has any leg on the issue either since they actively help their own industries and private companies with ties. It's all just a Publicity Stunt to keep its own citizen from sympathizing Google by playing a patriotic card.

    3. Re:Let's not forget by superdave80 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      And what website was taken down? And how exactly did the US enforce this take down in a country that it has no power over?

  2. No NSA behind Google? by kubitus · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Logic says can not be:

    :

    Secret Services/Intelligence must get information

    there is information in the internet

    where is information seeked for: in search enghines

    to know what is searched for you ought to sit behind a search engine, best Google

    and you can then also influence what is being found

    much cheaper than Echelon

    And in the answer streams from a search engine one can embedd other things such as trojans etc...

    QED

  3. Ho ho ho. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    While it would not at all surprise me if the relationship between aspects of the US intelligence apparatus and aspects of google is rather cozy(they'd merely be joining the long list of data broker companies for which that is true*cough* ChoicePoint, *cough* Acxiom, *cough*AT&T); it takes real chutzpah for a country where enterprises owned outright by the state and/or military are common, standard practice, to start moralizing about the shady and nebulous ties between google and America's spook infestation.

  4. Re:Do we have to hear about every piece of propaga by eldavojohn · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ???

    If I wanted to read chinese propagada, I would go to the source:

    http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/

    You know, I wish I 1) spoke some variant of Chinese and 2) knew more about Chinese media outlets. I wrote a journal post about this situation back when it was developing and tried to find a diverse viewpoint in Chinese news related to Google's ultimatum. It turned out to be more humorous and an exercise in futility than anything else. Does anyone who speaks the language know of a 'subversive' news source out of China? Or anything at all offering balanced and multiple views in the reporting? All I see is multiple sources looking like they are offering you unbiased news when, in fact, they are regurgitating something to you that is within a government approved standard deviation of the government approved message.

    Really, really sad. Also a stark reminder of how thankful I should be of the diversity of our press in the United States no matter how sorry it may look at times ...

    --
    My work here is dung.
  5. Re:Whoda thunkit? by Stargoat · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm not sure Google is actively working to further the interests of the US. Instead, Chinese leadership is incapable of appreciating the differences between US policy, US culture, and plain ole' innate freedoms. Chinese leadership sees everything through a Han cultural perspective, with everyone not Han is either a strong barbarian intent upon conquering China or a weak barbarian who should be conquered by China.

    --
    Hoist Number One and Number Six.